1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a honeycomb structure and a honeycomb catalyst. More particularly, it relates to a honeycomb structure usable as a support of a honeycomb catalyst onto which a large amount of catalyst can be loaded and having a good purification efficiency and showing an excellent thermal shock resistance, and the honeycomb catalyst.
2. Description of Related Art
Heretofore, there has been suggested an exhaust gas purifying device in which a catalyst for purification is loaded onto a catalyst support in order to purify the components to be purified such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) included in an exhaust gas discharged from a stationary engine for a car, a construction machine or an industrial purpose, a burning appliance or the like.
As the catalyst support for such an exhaust gas purification device, there is used, for example, a honeycomb structure including porous partition walls defining a plurality of cells acting as through channels of a fluid (e.g., see Patent Documents 1 to 4). Moreover, the catalyst for purification is loaded onto the surfaces of the partition walls of the honeycomb structure and inside the porous pores. In recent years, it has been studied to make a porosity of the partition walls of the honeycomb structure high in order to increase an amount of the catalyst to be loaded onto the honeycomb structure.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2009-242133
[Patent Document 2] JP-B-4246475
[Patent Document 3] JP-A-2003-33664
[Patent Document 4] JP-A-2001-269585